1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a local coil arrangement of the type having a number of supporting connection devices for placement of the local coil arrangement on a patient bed, as well as a patient bed for a magnetic resonance apparatus having a number of supporting connection devices for accepting a local coil arrangement, and a magnetic resonance apparatus embodying such a local coil arrangement or patient bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Movement or vibration artifacts frequently occur in the acquisition of magnetic resonance images. Causes for these movements are the inherent movements of the patient and/or vibrations of the magnetic resonance apparatus, for example of the gradient coils.
The vibration artifacts in local coils have predominantly been due to the movement of the patient, but solutions have been proposed to minimize this movement. A new type of vibration artifacts that are caused by coil vibrations occurs due to the recent development of multi-channel coils with a small measurement range that can be used in various patient positionings. These vibration artifacts lead to an impairment in the image quality.
An example of such a system in which such vibration artifacts occur due to coil vibrations is a patient bed with an attached local coil for acquisition of a wrist image, for example. For this purpose, the patient is positioned on the patient bed and extends his or her arm forwards with the hand and the wrist being inserted into the local coil. Image artifacts due to coil vibration in particular occur given such specifics of a case.
DE 40 20 477 A1 describes an RF coil positioning device for an imaging magnetic resonance system in which a bed mounted on a frame is driven by a drive mechanism such that an RF coil unit mounted on the bed can be moved into an imaging position. The RF coil unit is mounted in a fixed manner on a coil base that exhibits laterally projecting engagement projections that engage in corresponding receptacles provided at the bed.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0204136 describes an attachment possibility for a local coil on a patient support that also offers a secure fixing when the patient support is moved into a vertical position. A mounting with protruding fastening segments serves for this, which fastening segments can be inserted into corresponding holes of the patient receptacle to affix the local coil.
A local coil for use in an incubator that possesses rubber supports for secure fixing is known from U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0075437.